A former Lake Zurich High School cheer coach has been charged with theft and money laundering after diverting school funds for her personal use, authorities said.
Gabrielle N. Kelly, 26, of Algonquin, turned herself into police on a warrant issued on March 14, court records show.
Officers from the Lake Zurich Police Department were contacted in February by representatives from Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 regarding financial discrepancies discovered related to invoicing being conducted by District 95 high school cheerleading coaches, Lake Zurich Police Deputy Chief Colin Gaffney said.
The investigation determined Kelly unlawfully diverted over $38,000 of school district funds for personal use, Gaffney said.
Lake Zurich District 95 Superintendent Dr. Kelley Gallt said the Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 Business Department discovered some accounting irregularities last year in the invoicing by coaches of a District 95 high school athletic team.
After further investigation, the district promptly reported the matter to the Lake Zurich Police Department, which resulted in a thorough police investigation, Gallt said.
“The district is proud of the diligence of the Business Department staff in finding and investigating these irregularities and grateful for a strong partnership with the Lake Zurich Police Department,” she said.
Gallt also indicated Kelly is not currently a member of the coaching staff.
Kelly was charged through an information warrant with two counts of Class 1 felony Theft and two counts of Class 2 felony Money Laundering.
Kelly turned herself in to police Tuesday and appeared in front of Lake County Circuit Court Judge Michael Nerheim Tuesday morning in First Appearance Court.
Kelly was released from custody because the charges are non-detainable under the Illinois SAFE-T Act.
She was released with a future court date of April 9.
On her Facebook account, Kelly identified herself as an English teacher with Grayslake Central High School and a cheerleading coach in Lake Zurich in 2024. In addition, the Grayslake High School student newspaper from Oct. 16, 2023, identifies Kelly as a teacher of English II and English III who works as a cheerleading coach at Lake Zurich High School on the side.
The Grayslake Central High School and Lake Zurich High School websites did not make any mention of Kelly as either a coach or teacher Tuesday evening.